Cervical Radiculopathy (arm pain, numbness, tingling, weakness)

Cervical radiculopathy suggests irritation or damage to the nerves of the neck which run down through the arms to the hands. Patients feel different kinds of pain: sharp, stabbing, dull, achy, electrical and burning. Patients experience numbness and tingling, while some have muscle weakness. The symptoms can “skip” spots as they travel down the arms. All of these symptoms occur together in the worst cases.

These symptoms can be due to mechanical compression on a nerve. When a disc bulge or herniation smashes a nerve, pain and symptoms travel down the arms. Other ligaments and bony spurs can also compress the nerves. Sometimes, the nerve will not be compressed but instead will be irritated from toxic fluid leaking from the disc itself.

It is important to identify the cause or causes of the pain and symptoms so that the proper treatment can be recommended.